The Old Civic, Frenchs Forest

The Old Civic, Frenchs Forest

 Sydney has seen an explosion of burger joints.
Some are good, some not so good. 
This burger is one of the better ones. 

~~~~~~~~O~~~~~~~~

What’s in a good hamburger, folks?

Recently, I came across the best cheeseburger I’ve tasted in Sydney at a most unlikely place. And I found yet another wholesome burger in a suburb known more for its green and leafy surrounds.

Located just 15 kilometres north of Sydney CBD, Frenchs Forest is popular with young families because of its local schools and shopping centres. But Mysaucepan and I are here to check out a relatively new American Mex cafe on a late Saturday morning.

The Old Civic, Frenchs Forest 

The Old Civic, Frenchs Forest

The Old Civic, Frenchs Forest

Located within the Forestway Shopping Centre with street frontage of Forest Way, it seems to be a busy morning as the barista is flat out making one coffee after another.

Mexican style hot sauces

Mexican style hot sauces

A couple of Mexican style hot sauces is tempting me to order a basket of 6 buffalo wings ($8) that come with spicy BBQ sauce, blue cheese sauce and celery sticks.

I resist my temptation because I’m eyeing something else on the menu.

The menu, The Old Civic, Frenchs Forest

The menu, The Old Civic, Frenchs Forest

I can see this cafe being popular and swamped by children’s parties during weekends with its child-friendly menu.

Flat white coffee, $4

Flat white coffee, $4

A flat white coffee is impressive enough to bring a smile to Mysaucepan‘s face as she is particular with her morning ritual.

Fish tacos

Fish tacos $16.50

Fish tacos $16.50

Mysaucepan orders fish tacos made from beer battered flathead fillets laying on a bed of shredded cabbage and two soft tortillas.

Lime juice salsa made from diced tomato, onions, guacomole offers distinctive Mexican flavours.

Fish tacos $16.50

Fish tacos $16.50

I am not a fan of Mexican except for Salma Hayek.

The flathead fillets are deep-fried to a crisp golden brown. When drizzled with chilli aioli and a squeeze of tangy lime juice, these two wholesome tacos are quite a handful and they remind me so much of the stunningly beautiful and sultry Mexican-American actress.

The Wise Guy

The Wise Guy $14.90

The Wise Guy $14.90

The Wise Guy is a take on the famous Five Guys burger from the US and I’ve been eyeing this bad boy on the menu. After all, how can one review an American Mex cafe without checking out their burgers?

A juicy ground beef patty is sandwiched by a soft bun with melting American Jack cheese, slices of grilled onion, tomato, pickled gherkin, ketchup, mustard and home-made aioli.

A stack of fries complement this hearty burger.

The Wise Guy

The Wise Guy

As a kid, I never used to like pickles in my hamburger but I simply adore them now. This burger bun is fluffy and the beef patty so fresh the mince is almost crumbly with charred bits of meat.

The combination of ketchup (American for tomato sauce), American sweet mustard and aioli gives this burger its tangy taste while the hot melting cheese is the clincher for me. The chips are hot and crisp whilst creamy inside.

Sydney has seen an explosion of burger joints. Some are good, some not so good. This burger is one of the better ones.

The Old Civic, Frenchs Forest

The Old Civic, Frenchs Forest

The Old Civic is child-friendly and we see young families and mothers with prams around us.

If you’re looking for brekky, get in before the breakfast menu ends at 11.30am. Eggs benedict, streaky bacon, cereal and yoghurt are among the popular items on the menu.

More importantly, the menu is well-thought out with good American and Mexican style fast food ~ New York style rueben with slow-cooked corned beef ($15.50), Chicago hot dog with sweet pickle, cheese, diced onion and hot pepper ($14.50) are just a couple that caught my eye. Prices are honest with nothing beyond $18.

Good neighbourhood cafes will always be a hit with the locals. Some are good enough to entice those living further away and this cafe is certainly one of them.

So dear readers, do you like pickles in your hamburger?

The Old Civic
Shop 15, Forestway Shopping Centre
Corner of Forest Way and Warringah road
Frenchs Forest, New South Wales

The Old Civic on Urbanspoon

Tel: +61 2 7901 0009

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 6am – 5pm, Saturday 7am – 5pm, Sunday 8am – 4pm.

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11 Responses to The Old Civic, Frenchs Forest

  1. I love a good burger and pickle relish or slices of pickle are always required. What I hate and won’t eat are those healthy burgers with no fat beef, no flavor and have the mouth feel of overcooked cardboard.

    The fish taco looks really good but I love Mexican and not just actresses.

  2. Oh, yes, to a good burger and this one certainly looks VERY good. Wish I still lived in this part of the world!

  3. Live just up the road from this Cafe and yes, it is as good as it looks. Needs some mushrooms though….. Go the #powerofmushrooms ha ha

  4. That does in fact look like a good burger. I also despised pickles on burgers growing up but I love them now. You really need them to cut through the richness and fattiness of the beef.

  5. Raymund says:

    I am actually salivating on that photo of burger, look at that beauty!

  6. Frenchs Forest? You found a great burger in FRENCHS FOREST?? That’s just a stone’s throw away for me!! I am BEYOND excited!

    PS I never used to like pickles either as a kid. And on the odd occasion, I am still known for picking the pickles out of cheap burgers (i.e. Maccers!) (But I do love them in GOOD burgers!)

  7. Wow both the fish tacos and the burger look absolutely delicious! I am definitely a big fan of pickles in burgers!!

  8. Juliana says:

    The food seems pretty good…and the hamburger really got me…yum!
    Have a fabulous week :)

  9. It’s great Frenchs Forest is expanding more quirky cafes like this one. I’m so keen to try the wise guy… 😀

  10. That is one delicious looking burger!

  11. That burger does look seriously good.

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